


Bad Luck Charm

by KTKIJ



Category: iKON (Korea Band)
Genre: Abusive Hanbin, Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Cheating, Either super angsty or super fluffy, Eventual Smut, Jiwon almost is, Jiwon is twenty-eight, Junhoe is dead inside, Junhoe is nineteen, Law Student Junhoe, M/M, No in-between, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Roommate Donghyuk, Teacher Jiwon, updates every Monday!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-21
Updated: 2017-10-09
Packaged: 2018-12-18 14:41:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11876685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KTKIJ/pseuds/KTKIJ
Summary: Junhoe is done with the world, his parents, and his new roommate. But, he's especially done with his neighbor that always somehow manages to ruin Junhoe's day. After a series of unfortunate events, however, his neighbor seems to be just as done with life as he is.





	1. "W-was that the doorbell?"

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome, ladies and gentleman, to a new story, a new world, and a new piece of trash written by me! I'm trying to keep the chapters of this fic pretty short, but there will be quite a lot of them. I already have probably around half of this fic finished and I hope to post chapters regularly every Monday. (But knowing me... I'm not sure if you should trust this ehehehe. What a great way to attract readers, Jung. Oh, btw, surname reveal!) Okay, time to shut up. Enjoy, all you precious living organisms!

It was all because of his parents. It wasn’t his fault that he didn’t like change. His parents eventually got sick of their full-grown son groaning about heaps of homework and isolating himself from all traces of humanity within his dusty bedroom.

Consequently, Junhoe was kicked out of his own home and forced to move into a small apartment complex close to his university.

“Talk to people for once,” his parents had urged.

Junhoe scoffed and turned over onto his stomach to smother his face into his pillow. The music blasting from his earbuds had created a massive headache and he yanked them out, sighing heavily. His muscles were still sore from moving an endless amount of boxes into his new home. They were mostly full of books, as expected from a top student.

He opened his eyes at a soft knock on his bedroom door.

“Hey, Junhoe,” his roommate peeked his head through the doorway. “I’m going to head on to class now. Just thought I should let you know.”

Junhoe rolled over to face the intruder, “Oh, okay. See you later I guess.”

He heard a faint, “Call if you need me!” through the now closed door and he shouted back half-heartedly, “Bye, Donghyuk!”

Junhoe was already beginning to hate this social life.

~

He didn’t bother unpacking his things just yet and squinted his eyes at the sunlight invading his tired eyes. Junhoe plugged in his earphones again and began to walk over to class, not caring that he was going to be late.

The snow had ceased temporarily and he breathed in the frosty air. Most of the snow had melted by now and Junhoe could see cars driving up and down the streets.

Instead of actually talking to people, Junhoe developed the habit of people watching, which was a lot more convenient. He passed by some kid riding his bike way too quickly to be safe, a middle-aged woman holding groceries while talking heatedly on the phone, a pair of dudes sitting down on a bench conversing animatedly about some TV show, and many more useless human beings that Junhoe did not give a quarter of a shit about.

He entered the nice heated law building and naturally made his way to the lecture hall. Junhoe heard his professor reviewing for their finals coming up and he silently rejoiced. It was going to be an easy day. He sat down in the very last row and opened his laptop, planning to maybe pay attention for a few minutes and then pass the time by playing some Overwatch, thanking God for the free wifi and knowing that his professor adored him and wouldn’t care.

Class ended quickly and Junhoe left satisfied with maintaining his winning streak. This being the only class for the day, he grabbed a quick bite at the nearest cafe and walked back to his apartment, a bit more quickly this time with his nice, comfy bed as motivation.

He noticed that Donghyuk was still out, prayed that he would stay out for a while longer, and hopped into the shower. Junhoe hummed a random tune as the steam from the hot water clouded his vision. His muscles were finally beginning to relax, sighing contently at the warm water massaging his head and—

_Ding dong_.

What.

“W-was that the doorbell?” Junhoe frowned and stuck his head out of the shower.

A pause.

_Ding dong_.

“Fuck!”

Junhoe nearly fell out of the shower, slammed open the bathroom door, and was about to sprint to the front door when he realized that he was still stark naked.

“Fuck!”

He ran back into the bathroom, groaned at the absence of clothing, and grabbed the towel, desperately trying to wrap it around his waist, but it was too small.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck,” he continuously barked and opened the cupboard to find more towels—

”Yes!”

—that were still too small.

“Fuck!”

_Ding dong_.

“Just a second!” he basically begged, projecting his voice as loud as possible.

With his phenomenal brain he devised a way to combine two towels in order to fit around his hips. One towel covered his ass while the other covered his junk and he used both hands to hold each side of the towels.

“Jesus Christ, did Donghyuk forget his keys or what?”

_Ding dong_.

“Coming!”

Junhoe ran to the front door and managed to swing it open with his foot pulling on the doorknob, all while saying, “Donghyuk, what the fuck man—”

Oh. This was not Donghyuk.

In fact, it was a startled and slightly mortified looking young man politely holding a plate full of rice cakes with both hands. His eyes were wide and almost bulging out of their sockets and Junhoe really hated himself right now.

The stranger was first to speak.

“Oh,” he awkwardly chuckled. “Just where are my manners? Hi, I’m one of your neighbors and I heard that you just moved in so I decided to bring over some rice cakes as a welcome gift.” It sounded more like a question than a statement.

Junhoe didn’t know what to say. All he could do was stare at his neighbor who was now looking at him with a questioning smile and wavering eyes.

“Um, thanks.”

His neighbor immediately replied with, “Of course!” and gestured the plate toward Junhoe, silently offering him it.

Junhoe reached out a hand to take it and was answered with a high-pitched squeak and a loud crash of glass breaking. The lower half of his body felt cold. His neighbor’s hands were clamped over his eyes and a deep red blush was all over his skin.

Junhoe looked down. His heart sank and he was too done with life to even react.

“I am so sorry.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please feel free to comment and constructive criticism is also much appreciated! See you next week and until next time, <3


	2. “Damn, man, you kinky—holy shit! Is that blood?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again! Chapter two is here! Sorry if it's a bit late. I arrived from a little vacation Monday night so I'm posting this chapter also Monday night hehe, so it's probably Tuesday already for some of you. Sorry for this! 
> 
> Oh, and there is a slightly gory scene this chapter and I have no idea how people act like when they're seriously injured, so please excuse any inaccurate portrayals of certain scenes. Thank you and enjoy!

“I am so sorry.”

His neighbor was still frozen with his hands over his eyes and he shakily whispered, “If you could put your towels back on, that’d be great.”

“Y-yeah,” Junhoe replied and rapidly wrapped the towels around his waist. He bit his lip and scrunched his eyes closed, too embarrassed to do anything anymore.

His neighbor cleared his throat and Junhoe slowly opened his eyes to see him bending over to pick up the shattered glass and ruined rice cakes.

“Here, let me help,” Junhoe said but was stopped by a hand in his face.

“Nope, you just stay there and support those towels, buddy. They need you.”

Buddy. So he’s that type of guy.

All of the rice cakes were off the ground by now and he moved on to the glass. The neighbor picked up a bigger piece, however soon dropped it again with a clank, gasping.

Junhoe leaned down as far as possible without risking a dick slip and muttered, “Oh, shit.”

Dark red blood was slowly sliding out of his neighbors index finger and both stood back up.

“Here, come on inside. I’m sure I have some band-aids or something.”

His neighbor looked up at him with grateful eyes and said, “Thank you.”

Junhoe took a step back to let him in and began to say, “Oh, by the way, I didn’t happen to get your name—”

Almost as if in slow-motion, his neighbor’s eyes widened whilst his face seemed to be getting smaller and smaller.

Here was his kind, angelic neighbor, slipping on a puddle of water which had formed from Junhoe’s soaking body.

_Damnit_ , Junhoe thought. _I knew I should’ve dried_.

No, Junhoe refused to make this day even worse. He was going to redeem himself.

He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his neighbor (wishing a final farewell to his towels), securing him tight into his bare, and still damp, chest.

The silence was filled with frantic breaths coming from the man in his arms and Junhoe dared to make eye contact.

“Th-thank you,” his neighbor breathed out.

Yes, the day had been saved. Junhoe mentally pumped his fists into the air. And, in fact, up close, his neighbor was kinda… cute.

“Wait,” his neighbor continued, his eyebrows knotting together. “You're-you're wearing your towels… right?”

All the color drained from Junhoe’s face and his neighbor placed his hands on his chest, rapidly pushing himself away.

But yet again, the water got the best of them and they slipped, falling to the floor as one.

Instinctively, Junhoe somehow spun them around mid-fall and managed to end up underneath his neighbor.

But, damn, was he heavy.

They hit the floor with a clunk, Junhoe landing on rock-hard wood and his neighbor on soft flesh.

Junhoe groaned and his neighbor immediately perked up from his chest and yelped.

“Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no, no, no,” he moaned.

There, oozing from Junhoe’s scalp, was blood. It was staining the wood and Junhoe could feel sharp glass shards in his head.

“Shit!” he heard his neighbor shriek. “Are you okay?”

Junhoe opened his eyes into thin slits and saw a very fuzzy face right in front of his. His dizziness multiplied and he groaned again. The weight of his neighbor in his lap wasn't helping much either.

His neighbor remained holding on to his face, lightly patting his cheeks to keep him conscious.

“Hey. Hey! Stay with me, man,” he urged.

Suddenly, Junhoe began to chuckle.

“You look funny,” Junhoe laughed out.

“What the fuck.”

Junhoe looked up at the ceiling with the dumbest smile and laughed harder.

“Oh, god. You've gone crazy. Oh, _god_. What have I done?”

“It's cool, dude,” Junhoe stretched out the ‘dude’ unnecessarily long.

Meanwhile, his neighbor was shaking his body, desperately trying to bring Junhoe back to sanity.

Junhoe laughed some more. “Oi, you know what I just noticed?”

His neighbor stared at him in horror.

“You're, like, sitting on my naked-ass lap, you know that? If someone were to walk over here,” Junhoe airily chuckled. “Damn, if someone were to just walk over here, what would they think?”

His neighbor slapped his cheek again and screamed, “Don't say that! Just focus on breathing or something—”

“No!” Junhoe looked back at the ceiling with a dignified gaze. “I shall say whatever the hell I want to say,” he added while slamming his hand down onto his chest.

“Oh, my lord. What is wrong with you?”

“I'm going to die anyways!” Junhoe declared for all their neighbors to hear. “I can feel it,” his eyes glazed over and his body fell limp.

“No!” his neighbor shrieked.

He felt shaking underneath him and Junhoe's face scrunched back up into a smile.

“I got you, didn't I? You're so gullible!” Junhoe snorted.

“Okay, you better shut up,” his neighbor reached into his pocket. “I'm calling an ambulance.”

“What, no… This is so comfortable.”

“I said ‘shut up’—”

“Woah, Junhoe!”

The pair turned their gazes to see Donghyuk running over to them.

“Heyyy, Mr. Roommate dude,” Junhoe weakly waved.

“Damn, man, you kinky—holy shit! Is that blood?!”

And then everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and see you next week!


	3. “Jiwon, what the fuck are you doing?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with the third chapter! 
> 
> I'm kind of conflicted about my once a week update thing, though. I feel like since my chapters are so short, I should start updating twice a week. Well, I'll figure it out. Anyways, enjoy!

Junhoe was awakened to the sound of constant beeping, white walls, white sheets, white everything, and a weird weight on his thigh.

He felt pretty good and tried to sit up, but then he felt the tubes attached to his arms and the oxygen mask covering his mouth.

Fuckity fuck. He was in a goddamn hospital.

He looked down to investigate the odd weight on his thigh.

Junhoe slumped back down onto his pillow.

He was in a goddamn hospital with his goddamn tainted neighbor.

His neighbor’s light snores filled his ears and annoyance bubbled inside of him. A headache took hold of his forehead and he groaned, earning a slight rustle from his companion.

Soon enough, Junhoe was met with wet eyes and tear-stained cheeks.

A sob broke the dead silence of the hospital room and his neighbor threw himself onto Junhoe, wrapping his arms around his neck. He was now practically laying on top of Junhoe and he proceeded to cry.

_This guy has no sense of personal space_ , Junhoe thought.

“I’m so sorry!” his neighbor cried out.

Junhoe could feel warm, wet tears beginning to leak onto his skin through his gown.

“I-I thought that I’d never be able to see you awake again,” his neighbor looked up with a relieved, yet guilty expression and Junhoe couldn’t help but feel a little guilty himself.

“It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have brought you those rice cakes anyway. I can’t cook for shit. What was I thinking? Giving you those demented rice cakes.” His neighbor shoved his face back in the crook of Junhoe’s shoulder, his sobs now a bit muffled.

“Just _what_ is going on here?” A nurse walked in, her mouth wide open. “Get off of that poor patient, sir.”

Junhoe’s neighbor lifted up his head. “Oh. Oh, right,” he sniffled. “I’m sorry, I was-I was just—”

The nurse pulled him out of the bed and situated him back in his chair.

She sighed and faintly smiled. “Well, he’s awake, thank goodness.” She turned back to the neighbor. “Please leave the room, now. No visitors allowed at this moment.”

His shoulders visibly slumped and he slid out of his chair groggily. He left the stale-aired room and took a seat at the nearest bench, urging his tears to stop.

~

Sleep was beginning to pull at his eyelids when the nurse walked back out. He immediately stood up, awaiting her call.

“Does he have any relatives to contact? We need some signatures in order to release him,” the nurse informed.

“Does that mean he can leave?” the neighbor asked hopefully.

“Yes, but he needs a relative.”

He looked down at the floor, dejected, and replied, “I already called all the contacts in his phone. Apparently his whole family’s on vacation now.”

The nurse sighed heavily.

“But, his parents are flying back as soon as possible,” he added, “after hearing about his situation.”

“Alright. Well that’s good news. We’ll keep him here once they arrive then.”

She was just about to walk away when the neighbor stopped her.

“How-how is he?”

The nurse turned back around and smiled. “He’s fine. Just needs to rest a bit, that’s all.”

He grinned wide, showing his crooked teeth and asked, “Can I go in?”

She nodded.

~

Junhoe refused to look at him as he sat down beside his bed.

“Hey,” his neighbor softly greeted, barely audible.

Junhoe looked away.

“I-I’m sorry.”

No answer.

“Look, I know you’re probably pissed right now and that you don’t want to be associated with me ever again in your life and I understand that,” his neighbor’s voice cracked. “I just want you to know that I’m so sorry.”

Junhoe wanted to speak up. He didn’t know what he’d say though. He wanted to tell him to fuck off and never come near himself again, but he also wanted to say that it’s not completely his fault and that he, himself, caused this situation just as much as he did.

He heard a sniffle behind him and he opened his mouth, about to say something when he heard the door slam open and heavy footsteps coming his way.

Junhoe turned around, confused, and saw another young man quickly striding over with frustration painted all over his face. However, this stranger wasn’t looking at him, he was glaring at his neighbor.

He reached a stop beside his neighbor and snarled, “Jiwon, what the fuck are you doing?”

_So his name is Jiwon?_

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, spending the fucking night here?” The stranger was yelling now.

“Babe, babe,” Jiwon was standing now. “I can explain. It’s not like that, I swear—”

“Shut up,” he grabbed Jiwon’s wrist. “Let’s go.”

“Wait. Wait!” Jiwon was trying to get out of his grasp. “Hanbin, wait!”

Hanbin looked back at Jiwon, fire in his eyes.

“Just let me say goodbye, okay? I-I nearly killed this guy. Please, Hanbin.”

Hanbin scowled hard, but let go of his wrist and crossed his arms, leaving the room.

Jiwon turned around and Junhoe stared, in shock from all that had happened right in front of him.

Jiwon looked like complete shit. His baby pink hoodie was all wrinkled, eyebags were prominent, and his hair was tangled in every twist and turn possible. Just how long had he stayed here, beside Junhoe?

“I’m so sorry about all this.”

_You say ‘sorry’ too much_ , Junhoe absently thought.

Junhoe looked down at Jiwon’s wrist. There were bright red finger marks encircling it, and they weren’t going to fade away anytime soon. Junhoe got a sour feeling in his stomach.

“I-I really need to get going now. Get well soon, Junhoe.” Jiwon sent him a weak and shaky smile before briskly leaving the room, rubbing his wrist the whole way there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let the angst begin. Hehe. I'm sorry, I'm a huge lover of angst y'all. 
> 
> Bye for now and see you next week!


	4. "Oh, my god."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yoyoyo! I have decided that, yes, I will start updating every Monday and Thursday once I write up a few more chapters. I guess this is just my style haha. I feel very secure when I have a lot of chapters already finished and ready to go so that I won't have to worry about cramming in a chapter by my updating time. I will announce when I will officially start updating twice a week soon!
> 
> Also, here's some more angst, just like I promised ;)

Junhoe soon found himself back in his own bed.

His parents had come worried and he was discharged from the hospital immediately.

Unfortunately, he had left the shower running the whole time he spent in the hospital until Donghyuk had come home and turned it off.

Of course, Donghyuk forced Junhoe to pay for the extra water bill. Also, during the time Junhoe had spent in the hospital, his final fucking exams were taking place, therefore leaving him in this shitty situation with countless emails needed to be sent to professors and board members.

He really hated his parents. It was all because of them.

But, Junhoe hated Jiwon a little bit more.

He knew deep inside that it wasn't entirely Jiwon's fault, but Junhoe didn't feel like sinking into any more self-loathing right now. Everything Jiwon did brought bad unto Junhoe. He was like a black cat, but in an overly nice and kinda cute human form.

Junhoe sat up. What was he thinking? No, Jiwon is a terrible person with eyes that curl into little crescents when he smiles and who always wears oversized clothing that flaunts his frame perfectly and makes him look so squishy and huggable and cuddly and—

_What. The. Fuck. Stop it. Stop it, stop it, stop it._

He crawled out of bed and threw on the first things he saw from his closet, too exhausted to care about his appearance today.

Junhoe exited his bedroom and glanced at a passed out Donghyuk sprawled over the couch, beer bottles back-to-back on the coffee table.

He slipped on his backpack containing his trusty laptop and grabbed his keys. He left the apartment whistling and was in a relatively okay mood.

He had only taken one step out into the hallway and his mood was crushed, crumpled up, and slammed down to the ground. Junhoe wrinkled his nose in disgust at the sight in front of him.

Jiwon was up against the wall opposite Junhoe’s apartment, body encased by Hanbin, who was currently sucking on Jiwon’s neck. Jiwon had his eyes closed and moaned, ecstasy clear on his face.

“Hanbin,” he breathed out, the thick aroma of sex surrounding all three of them.

Hanbin removed his lips from Jiwon’s neck and began to hungrily dominate his mouth.

Jiwon pulled away and pleaded, “Inside, Hanbin. We can’t do this out in the hallway.” He tried to push Hanbin away, but Hanbin remained still, locking Jiwon in place.

“We go inside when I say we go inside,” Hanbin growled out. “Got it?”

Jiwon whimpered and nodded, allowing Hanbin to slide his hands underneath his sweater.

Junhoe tried his hardest to escape without awkwardly interrupting them, but his damn boots were the loudest shoes in existence.

Jiwon’s eyes opened wide from his previous hooded, lustful expression and pushed Hanbin away. Hanbin stumbled a little and turned around to meet Junhoe’s mortified gaze with a sharp glare.

“Oh, my god,” Jiwon covered his mouth with his hands. “Junhoe.”

Junhoe crossed his arms and tried to cool down his hot, beet-red face.

“I’m so sorry about this,” Jiwon continued.

Junhoe stomped away as quickly as possible and mentally slapped himself for wearing tight skinny jeans that day. He looked down and cringed, refusing to accept the fact that there was a slight bulge tightening the crotch of his pants. He groaned and didn’t look up from the floor.

He was almost at the end of the hallway when he heard a slam. Junhoe turned around and what he saw blared alarms in his head, causing him to clench his fists.

Hanbin had Jiwon against the wall again, but this time Jiwon had his wrists pinned up over his head, not allowed any movement.

Jiwon held absolute terror in his eyes and he clenched them closed when he heard Hanbin shout, “Did you just fucking push me, you little shit?!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Hanbin. I’m sorry.” Tears were beginning to jerk from Jiwon’s eyes and he bit his lip, willing them not to fall.

_Stop saying sorry._

“Your behavior’s been getting worse and worse. You better fucking check yourself, Kim Jiwon,” Hanbin ordered, his grip tightening on Jiwon’s wrists. Junhoe could already sense the bruises they would leave. “Fucking crying over everything, you slut,” Hanbin muttered. “You spend a whole night with that shitty neighbor and now this.” He chuckled. “You're pathetic.”

“I’m sorry,” Jiwon sobbed out. “I’m so sorry.”

With that Hanbin pulled himself away from Jiwon and entered their apartment, leaving Jiwon to collapse from standing against the wall to sitting with his head on his knees, muffling his whimpers.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Junhoe could still hear Jiwon shakily chanting those two words. Junhoe knew that Hanbin locked the door, he heard the click of the lock turning.

He didn’t know what to do. But, at the same time he did know what to do. So he couldn’t forgive himself for turning around and continuing down the hallway to his class, leaving his sobbing neighbor bundled up in a ball and completely helpless.

_Stop saying sorry. Stop saying sorry._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, y'all. Prepare yourselves for some wholesome fluff next chapter... sort of. 
> 
> And who's ready for Bobby's first solo album?! I'm too excited *sobs*


	5. "Stay with me, Jiwon."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello hello! 
> 
> The ending for this chapter seems really off, but that's because when I was writing this it was getting longer then I wanted, so I had to find some place to cut it. I know that I told myself to keep the chapters on the shorter side, but it's so hard ugh. Maybe I should just let my inner author instincts go and splurge all my thoughts in one go haha.
> 
> Anyways, get ready for some more interaction between our two protagonists!

Junhoe walked to class with a speedier pace than usual. Once he arrived, he was terribly early and decided to pass some time at the cafe nearby.

There were a few people in front of him in line and he inwardly groaned. Junhoe looked up at the menu and decided to order his usual during these chilly winter months.

Bored, he sneaked a look outside the window and did a double-take at the snow falling. When he initially had arrived at the cafe, the skies were pretty clear, save for a few clouds.

Junhoe couldn’t take his eyes off of the snow and jumped when the cashier projected, “Next in line, please.”

Junhoe drummed his fingers on the counter and ordered, “Can I have an americano?”

“Sure thing,” the cashier replied and began to tap on her cash register’s screen.

“Oh, actually,” Junhoe began.

The cashier looked up.

“Make that two.”

~

Junhoe nearly jogged back to his apartment, partially because he didn’t want the drinks to cool down, but more because he couldn’t stand the thought of his neighbor sitting there in the freezing cold hallway all alone with nowhere to go.

He tapped his foot in impatience waiting for the elevator to reach his floor. He already knew from the temperature in the elevator that the hallway was going to be cold as shit.

When he entered the hallway of his floor, the coldness hit him hard. It was like a freezer in there. Across the floor, Junhoe could make out Jiwon in the same position he had left him.

As he made his way closer, he was able to sense Jiwon shivering and the wet sniffles escaping his body.

Junhoe felt a pang of guilt and looked back at the door of Hanbin and Jiwon’s shared apartment. Fury began to churn in his stomach.

He was only a few steps away from Jiwon when Jiwon finally looked up from his knees. Jiwon’s eyes filled with surprise and Junhoe felt a bit embarrassed. Since when did he care about other human beings?

He stopped directly in front of his neighbor and Jiwon stared up at him with wide, red-rimmed eyes.

“Here,” Junhoe said, quite boldly, while sticking his arm out toward Jiwon with a warm cup of coffee.

Jiwon stayed still for a moment and raised both his arms to receive the drink. It’s warmth caused him to shiver, the stark contrast between his cold body and hot drink shocking his body.

“Thank you,” Jiwon quietly said. He brought the coffee to his lap, but didn’t drink it, only stared at it with empty eyes.

Junhoe cleared his throat, feeling painfully awkward. He looked away from Jiwon and put the hand that wasn’t holding his own coffee in his hoodie’s pocket.

“Do you,” he began.

Jiwon looked back up, his eye as lifeless as ever.

“Do you wanna crash at my place or something?”

“Thank you, Junhoe.” Junhoe liked the way his name rolled down Jiwon’s tongue. He liked the way Jiwon’s slightly husky and boyish voice said anything. “But I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Junhoe was about to reply with, “Oh,” or something generic and typical. Anything to end this depressing conversation.

“Why?” He couldn’t explain why he asked that. He just wasn’t ready to leave Jiwon here, in a lonely hallway.

Jiwon seemed taken aback, not expecting Junhoe to care. “Because. I’m going back into my apartment.”

_You’re not going back to your place anytime soon_ , Junhoe thought, Hanbin’s angry face flashing through his mind.

“Stay with me, Jiwon.” Junhoe cringed at his own word choice. “Stay at my place until you can go back into your apartment again,” he clarified.

Jiwon didn’t say anything. The pause probably meant he was thinking, but his face portrayed that everything Junhoe had said went in one ear and out the other, completely incomprehensible.

“Okay.”

~

If the conversation in the hallway was awkward, Junhoe didn’t know what this feeling was called.

Jiwon was sitting at his kitchen table, warming his hands with his drink.

“You might want to drink that before it gets cold,” Junhoe advised, also taking a seat across Jiwon.

Jiwon looked up at the sudden noise and smiled sheepishly, but his eyes were still. He brought the cup to his mouth and took a small sip. A brief expression of distaste flashed across his face, but he quickly recovered. Junhoe had a sharp eye, though.

“Oh, is there something wrong with your coffee?”

Jiwon waved his hands in the air in denial. “Oh, no no no. It’s fine, perfect.”

“No, but really man,” Junhoe continued. “I want to know.”

For a second Jiwon seemed a bit confused. He then smiled warmly, a real smile this time, and said, “It’s just a bit too bitter for my taste.”

“Oh, shoot. Sorry dude. I-I like my coffee black and I didn’t know what to get you so I sorta just got you what I liked?”

Jiwon giggled. “It’s fine. You got me coffee, Junhoe. That’s all that matters.”

Junhoe froze for a moment, a bit entranced by the unexpected sound of Jiwon’s laughter. Despite how cheerful and positive Jiwon seemed to be, this was the first time he had heard him laugh, ironically.

“Here, I’m pretty sure we have some sugar packets around here somewhere.” Junhoe got up from his seat and walked toward the cupboards.

As he was looking through them he caught himself. Why was he doing this? Why did he want to please him so much?

He smiled at the sight of light pink sugar packets tucked behind stacks of cups.

Jiwon was just bad luck, anyways.

“How many packets?” he asked.

“Just two, please.”

Junhoe walked back to the table, two sugar packets in hand and a spoon for stirring, and handed them over to Jiwon.

Jiwon smiled again and their hands brushed as they exchanged the sugar.

This was really awkward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all, Bobby's solo just completed my life. I can die happily now. Alien is the song of the century. *sobs*


	6. “I-I was not r-riding him!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoop whoop! It's time for chapter six!
> 
> Now this is when the fluff(?) comes in. Hehe.
> 
> Enjoy ;)

“Thank you,” Jiwon said as he accepted the packets of sugar. He took off the lid of his cup and poured the tiny white crystals in his coffee, later stirring it with the spoon.

He took a sip and his eyes sparkled a bit. His cheeks were rosy from the warmth of both the coffee and Junhoe’s apartment.

“Why aren’t you drinking your coffee,” Jiwon asked, glancing over at Junhoe’s cup.

“Oh, right.” He had totally forgotten about it.

Jiwon hummed. “Um, Junhoe. Do you have a roommate, or is this a single?”

Junhoe’s eyes widened and remembered that, yes, there was another living organism somewhere in this apartment.

“Yeah, I do. He’s probably somewhere in here.” Then Junhoe stood up, walked into the living room, and there he saw Donghyuk still passed out on the couch. “Found him.”

Jiwon walked over next to Junhoe with his coffee. The living room was dark, its lights not turned on.

Junhoe heard a loud gasp beside him and immediately after a wet splash. Jiwon had one hand over his mouth, absolute panic all over his face. Most importantly though, in Junhoe’s opinion, Jiwon had the other hand grasping Junhoe’s hoodie and his face hidden in his chest.

“Oh, my god.” Jiwon pressed his face closer into Junhoe’s chest. “I-I thought he was dead,” he said shakily.

Junhoe couldn’t say anything. His heart was beating way too quickly for his liking and all his mind was on was the sweet scent of lavender escaping from Jiwon’s hair.

He snapped out of his trance when he heard Jiwon gasp again and exclaim, “Oh, shit! I-I dropped the coffee!”

Junhoe looked down beside him and saw Jiwon kneeling on the floor, his face distressed and guilty.

“I’m so sorry, Junhoe. I’m so sorry.”

_You don’t need to be sorry. Stop. Saying. Sorry._

Jiwon picked up the empty, wet coffee cup and looked up at Junhoe with his eyebrows knotted together in worry, his eyes worried, and his mouth in a frown, almost a pout.

“I’m so sorry, Junhoe. Why can’t I do anything right whenever I’m with you?”

Junhoe forever burned that face into his memory. He wasn’t a sadist, but seeing Jiwon like this was too cute.

“I’ll-I’ll get a towel,” Junhoe stuttered and evacuated the scene as quickly as possible. He grabbed one of the kitchen towels and tried to recollect himself on the way back to the living room.

He kneeled down beside Jiwon and began to wipe up the coffee. Luckily the floor was wood and not carpet.

“No, no let me.” Jiwon attempted to take the towel.

“Nope,” Junhoe said. “I got this, Jiwon.”

Jiwon didn’t take his eyes off of Junhoe until all the coffee was off the floor. Junhoe started to sweat lightly, nervous under his gaze.

They got up and Junhoe showed Jiwon to the trashcan. Jiwon threw the coffee cup away and Junhoe set the towel into the sink. Jiwon sighed, then repeated, “I’m sorry about all of this, Junhoe. I really am.”

“It’s okay, man.”

“No. Not just for this coffee incident. For everything.”

Junhoe raised an eyebrow.

“I’m sorry for bringing you those rice cakes, sending you to the hospital, making your parents worry.” Jiwon looked defeated. “I’m sorry for having you bring me into your own apartment for Christ’s sake.”

“Hey.”

Jiwon didn’t move.

“Hey. Look at me, Jiwon.”

Jiwon met his eyes.

He didn’t know why he suddenly felt this way. He wanted to hate Jiwon. Wanted to blame him for everything and never talk to him again. “It’s okay, Jiwon.”

Behind them they heard rustling and were met with the sight of Donghyuk sitting up on the couch, confusion and tiredness in his eyes.

“Wha…” he said.

“Go to your own room and sleep, you idiot,” Junhoe ordered.

Donghyuk rubbed his forehead, his hangover unusually strong. He looked at Junhoe, then at Jiwon, and realization dawned on his face.

He said, a bit slurred, “Heyyy. You’re that dude that was riding Junhoe in the hallway that one time.”

Jiwon blushed the darkest he probably had ever blushed and Junhoe choked on his own saliva.

“I-I was not r-riding him!” Jiwon objected.

Donghyuk snorted. “Yeah, right. Explain to me why Junhoe was fucking naked and you were, like, screaming. Didn’t know Junhoe’s dick was that good.”

Junhoe recollected himself. “Yo, you know that we were _not_ having sex. You were there in the fucking ambulance to the hospital, you retard!”

“Huh?”

“Just go sleep in your fucking room, Donghyuk.”

Donghyuk groaned and rubbed his forehead again before groggily getting up from the couch. He left the living room with shaky legs and Junhoe sighed in relief when he heard the door of Donghyuk’s bedroom close.

“Sorry about that,” Junhoe said. “His memory’s probably a bit fucked up from his hangover.”

Jiwon giggled and replied, “It’s cool.”

They stood there in awkward silence and Junhoe resorted to switching on the living room light. The room was a mess and he felt a bit of embarrassment.

“So,” Junhoe began. “You-you want to play some video games or something?”

Jiwon’s face lit up. “Hell yeah.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. I am confirming that, yes, some real fluff is on its way next week. It's time for the Junbob we've all been waiting for!
> 
> Also, please excuse my obsession with lavender scent. If you've read my previous Junbob fic you'll know that I mentioned it there too haha. It's one of my favorites :')


	7. "You young."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven't noticed already, the chapter titles are all dialogue from each chapter, but some chapters just don't even have any meaningful dialogue. So basically this chapter's title is sort of irrelevant but whatever hahaha. 
> 
> Get ready for some actual relational development ;)

Thirty minutes later, the pair was sitting on the couch, utter concentration on their faces.

“No, no, no,” Junhoe muttered.

Jiwon laughed and leaned back. Junhoe was losing hard against him and he was feeling rather cocky.

“Oh,” Jiwon dragged out, his fingers moving across the Wii remote rapidly.

“No, no!” Junhoe shouted out as he watched his Charizard fly out of the screen in defeat.

Jiwon jumped up out of his seat and pumped his fists in the air. “Ayyyy,” he said victoriously. “That’s why you never mess with me when I play Kirby.”

Junhoe rolled his eyes and watched as the letters _Super Smash Bros Brawl_ appeared across the TV screen.

Jiwon sat back down again and chuckled, staring at Junhoe with his signature eye-smile.

Junhoe remained sitting with his arms cross, annoyance dripping out of him.

“Yo.” Jiwon shoved his shoulder lightly. “You can’t be that mad right?”

Junhoe grunted and grabbed his Wii remote. “Again! We ain’t stopping until I win.”

Jiwon snorted and reached for his own remote. “You’re such a kid,” he said, teasing him.

“I am not a kid!”

“Riiight. How old are you?”

“I-I’m nineteen.”

Jiwon whistled. “You young.”

Junhoe scrunched up his nose. “Well, how old are you?”

“Twenty-eight.”

“What the fuck.” He didn’t look that old. Twenty-five at the most. Jiwon’s youthful eyes and unblemished face could not be twenty-eight years old.

“I know,” Jiwon said rather dejectedly. “I’m old. At least you got your whole prime still ahead of you,” he added while clapping Junhoe’s shoulder.

“Should I call you ‘hyung’ then?”

“Nah, I’ve never been a huge fan of the honorifics.”

“But,” Junhoe began, “I think I’ll be more comfortable with calling you ‘hyung.’ It's weird just calling you Jiwon now knowing that you’re, like, fucking nine years older than me.”

Jiwon smirked. “Do whatever you want, I guess.”

“Wow, I feel like I’m talking to a grandpa.”

“Excuse me—”

“Wait. So that means you’re all done with school right?”

Jiwon pursed his lips at Junhoe’s interruption but shook it off. “Yep. Finally finished with that shit.”

Junhoe lifted his eyebrows in curiosity. “What do you do then? For a living?”

Jiwon’s eyes widened at the unexpected question. “Oh, I’m an elementary school teacher,” he said with a proud smile.

_He must’ve worked pretty hard_ , Junhoe thought.

“Nice. What grade do you teach?”

“I usually teach third graders, but this year there was quite a big number of kids so I have a combo class with both third and second graders.”

“I see. So you get off of work at like three o’clock?”

“Yeah, it’s pretty nice. But once I get home I have to try to decipher illegible handwriting and all that good stuff,” Jiwon said with a slight sigh.

Junhoe quietly chuckled. “So after college you got your teaching credentials?”

“Mmhmm.”

As they waited for the game to load, a certain question was itching at Junhoe’s mind. He didn’t know if it was appropriate to ask.

“Um, so when did Hanbin get in the picture then?”

Jiwon visibly tensed and his lips slightly tugged into a light frown. “We’ve been together since high school.”

Junhoe almost choked. “Damn. That’s-that’s a long time.”

“Yeah,” Jiwon said quietly. He suddenly perked up, trying to change the topic. “You’re still in college right?”

“Yeah.” “What are you majoring in?”

“Pre-law,” Junhoe said bluntly.

Jiwon’s eyes widened in amazement. “Woah. You smart. Do you go to that one college near here?”

“Yeah. University of Seoul.”

“Daaaamn! You hella smart.”

Junhoe flushed at the praise and fixed his gaze back to the screen. “Hey, the game’s starting. Concentrate.”

As they continued playing nonstop for hours on end, Junhoe got the opportunity to see a different side of Jiwon. So far he had only seen the flustered, polite(?), and somewhat distant part of him, mostly because they were strangers. Sitting on this couch together melted away that uneasiness between them, although they still had their fair share of awkward moments.

Junhoe got to see Jiwon’s natural side. His competitive side especially. His aggressiveness. His boyish charm. He wasn’t just a neighbor anymore. He was a… friend? No, acquaintance, acquaintance.

The depressing atmosphere from before was gone and all troubles were forgotten for now under the intensity of gaming.

They were midway through another round of Super Smash when Jiwon’s phone starting ringing, its noise ripping through the room. Junhoe immediately paused the game and watched Jiwon scurry to grab his phone on the coffee table. He read the caller ID and Jiwon’s expression worried Junhoe to the core.

Jiwon sent him a strained smile. He said, “I gotta take this one. Hold up,” and picked up the phone. “Hello?”

Junhoe could hear a faint voice coming from the phone and it was not happy. Jiwon had to almost jerk his phone away from his ear in order to stand the loud voice piercing through it.

Jiwon stood up and left the room to lean against the kitchen counter. “Yes, I know. I’m coming now… I-I’m at a neighbor’s house.” Jiwon nibbled at his fingernails and kept his voice barely above a whisper. “It just happened, okay?... Oh, god, Hanbin. It’s not like that.”

Junhoe turned off the Wii monitor and continued to listen to Jiwon’s hushed voice.

Jiwon was running his fingers through his hair now, his eyes anxious and fearful. “I’m sorry.”

_No, hyung_ , Junhoe clenched his fists.

“I won’t do this again. I’m sorry.”

Junhoe suddenly stood up and quickly walked over to where Jiwon was. He was done with this shit. He yanked the phone out of Jiwon’s hand and set it beside his own ear. “Room 507. It’s right across the hallway,” he almost growled out. “Just come and fucking pick him up.” He hung up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh and btw, in Korea being a teacher for any grade level is a pretty prestigious job, so that's why Junhoe's reaction was kind of, like, impressed...? I don't know haha. A family member of mine used to be a school principal there so I just thought I'd throw that it there. This is basically useless information so just ignore me hehe. 
> 
> Thank you for reading and until next week!


	8. "Shhh."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may have noticed that the rating and archive warnings have changed because of this chapter. There are a couple sensitive topics touched on in this update so please only read on if you are certain that you are willing. 
> 
> Although this chapter is not graphic, please keep this warning in mind. 
> 
> Okay! Now that all the serious stuff is over and done with, onto the chapter!

Junhoe and Jiwon stood quietly in the kitchen. No words were spoken and no one moved. The atmosphere wasn’t tense or light. There was nothing.

Junhoe still had Jiwon’s phone in his hand. He was still in the phone app, luckily, and decided to punch in his number. “I just saved my number onto your phone. Contact me when needed.”

He had no idea why he just did and said that, and he didn’t want to admit what he was implying. Jiwon swallowed and received his phone from Junhoe.

Soon enough they heard heavy footsteps approaching the front door and a violent knock after.

They stayed frozen for a moment until Junhoe walked over to the door and opened it rather confidently. His expression was blank, refusing to show the anger he actually felt.

Behind Junhoe, Hanbin saw Jiwon standing timidly, his eyes downcast. It almost looked as if Jiwon was protecting himself from Hanbin with Junhoe’s broad shoulders. It drove Hanbin mad. He reached behind Junhoe and grabbed Jiwon’s wrist, pulling him harshly out of the apartment and into the hallway.

Junhoe made no move to stop him, but his jaw tightened subconsciously.

Jiwon stumbled as he was pulled and had to lean against Hanbin to regain his balance. Hanbin removed his hand from Jiwon’s wrist and intertwined their fingers instead, all the while keeping his gaze shooting through Junhoe’s eyes.

“Have a nice day,” Junhoe said, monotone, almost coming off as sarcastic.

Hanbin only narrowed his eyes more as a response and turned around. Junhoe watched as Jiwon nearly tripped into his own apartment, fear evident in his eyes, and he sent one last strained smile Junhoe’s way. Junhoe couldn’t get the worry out of his chest.

He waited a few seconds in his doorway, just gazing at the door of Jiwon’s apartment. Then he heard a faint _thump_.

Junhoe strode across the hall.

He gently placed his ear against Jiwon’s door and his heart pounded in his chest, even making his throat hurt.

He heard some faint murmuring through the door. One voice was definitely louder than the other. This went on for a short while and soon Junhoe’s heartbeat calmed down.

He stepped away from the door and sighed, rubbing his face. He was just about to walk back over to his apartment when another muffled _thump_ was audible.

Junhoe immediately perked up and swiftly placed his ear against the door again.

The sound of scraping was next, and then a crash.

Then a whimper.

Junhoe’s hands began to shake.

“What the fuck were you thinking?” Hanbin snarled out, his piercing voice traveling through the walls.

“I’m sorry, Hanbin. I-I wasn’t thinking. I’m sorry. It won’t happen agai-”

The door vibrated violently against Junhoe’s ear. He took a small step back.

He heard a soft sob and shaky breaths.

Something collided with the door again and although Hanbin’s voice was just above a whisper, Junhoe could still clearly make out what he said.

“Jiwon,” Hanbin muttered.

Jiwon didn’t reply.

“Respond when I speak to you,” Hanbin articulated.

Jiwon immediately replied. “Y-yeah?”

“Don’t do this again. Don’t give me any more stress.”

“I won’t. I’m sorry. I-”

“Shhh.”

Junhoe heard a gasp escape Jiwon and some rustling of clothing.

“Wait. Hanbin, I-”

“I said ‘be quiet.’”

Jiwon released a sound between a whimper and a sob.

“Hanbin, please. I really don’t feel like it right now.”

Junhoe could hear the sound of Jiwon’s body being pushed further against the door.

“Please don’t, Hanbin. I-I’m not in the mood-”

The rest of Jiwon’s sentence was muffled and Hanbin interrupted, “I said ‘ _shut up_.’ You fucking disobeyed me and this is the least you can do to pay for it.”

Whatever was covering Jiwon’s mouth was removed and Jiwon released another sob.

“It hurts, Hanbin, it hurts.”

“Shut up.”

“Stop, please stop. No, Hanbin. Please. I’m not prepared. I’ll prep myself, just, please.” Another sharp whimper. “This isn’t right. This-”

Jiwon cried out and his sobbing intensified.

The door shook with Hanbin’s rhythmic pounding and Junhoe’s ears were filled with Jiwon’s muffled screams.

Junhoe remained standing there, his eyes wide and breath still.

He was disgusted. He was disgusted at whatever was going on behind that door. He was disgusted at _himself_.

But he was a coward. He should’ve done something. He should’ve banged on the door and knocked it down from its hinges. He should’ve called the police. He should’ve done _something_.

Junhoe opened the door of his apartment and collapsed against it once inside. His legs were numb as he slid down against the wood to have a seat on the cold tile floor.

He put his head in his hands and weaved them through his hair with shaking hands.

_Fuck_.

He needed to hide. He needed to get away from all this.

Junhoe rushed into the bathroom and turned the sink knob, water now splashing loudly.

He rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and shoved his arms under the flowing water. His breaths were too quick, too shallow. He rubbed and rubbed until his arms were red and raw. He scrubbed his face and neck and was too shaken to notice he was shivering.

Junhoe felt dirty. He wanted to throw up.

He was a coward.

Junhoe fell asleep in the bathtub.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please forgive me. I love you, Hanbin, but sorry hehe.


End file.
